You failed Me
by SilverWand
Summary: An alternative ending to S2e3. What if Mathis had kidnapped both Laurel and Felicity, and had them both attached to that apparatus? Oliver has limited time and has to save both of them, in hurry; he makes this one decision that he will repent all his life. He saves Laurel first due to which Felicity...dies? Oliver/Felicity.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: An alternative ending to S2e3. What if Mathis had kidnapped both Laurel and Felicity, and had them both attached to that apparatus? Oliver has limited time and has to save both of them, in hurry; he makes this one decision that he will repent all his life. He saves Laurel first due to which Felicity...dies?

Oliver/Felicity.

**Present**

She was honest as honest could be. Her eyes could never hold back a lie and her smile portended nothing. She was soft, like the feel of a feather under the skin. His mind never marked her as important, which was too engrossed with the likes of his family and with those of Laurel, Tommy. Yet, her absence felt so heavy in his heart. She was a source of light in his dark life, though he had yet to realise that it was her who warmed his not-so-sunny days by reaching out and saying just the things he needed to hear, of course, mixed with her other words of futility. She had made such a difference in his life- she was the first one to show how much she cared and definitely the first one to have no expectations, no preconceptions of him. Until he crushed all the faith she had in him with his own hands. Innocence was the first part of her soul to be killed that day. And while it happened, Oliver stood still, helpless.

Oliver paced up and down the narrow corridor of the hospital, impatiently waiting for some news. Although he was aware of the intensity of his mistake, he expected Diggle to say a few words of sympathy, telling him that it was not his fault that Felicity was lying in the hospital, struggling to live.

After an hour of anxiety, a nurse came and asked Oliver and Diggle to come to the Doctor's cabin, and discuss a few things. The nurse wore a serious expression; Oliver's hopes went down and the guilt increased. Oliver couldn't see the doctor clearly; he could only hear what he was saying for his vision was too blurred, maybe because of the tears in his eyes.

'Mr. Queen," the doctor cleared his throat, "I'm Dr. Watson and I'm handling Ms. Smoak's case. You are here for her. I assume you relationship with her is...?"

Oliver straightened up. He tried to speak but couldn't find his voice. When he finally spoke, his voice came out to be rough and heavy, "She's my employee, and a good friend."

"I hope you realise what happened with her is something-

"Could you come to the point?" Oliver interrupted, "Just tell, is she...alright?"

"Well," the doctor sighed, "We had no doubts she would make it. But, Mr. Queen, the problem, here, is not this. The chemical which has been forced into her is a very strong one. As soon as it gets in contact with the human skin, it sets into a hard mass, forming strong bonds with facial tissues. It absorbs all the flexibility. Now, I'm aware that the police or the vigilante, as some people say, did not let much liquid flow into her. So, whatever amount of it flowed in, a large proportion of it collected in the lower jaw, the moving one. Which means... she wouldn't be able to move the lower one."

"And so?" Oliver said, in a small voice.

"Which means that...she wouldn't be able to speak. Ever. Even if she tried to, the tissues will tear apart, which will cause great pain."

**Five hours ago**

"I feel so tired right now." Felicity announced. Oliver was upstairs at his club, The Verdant, while she and Diggle were trying to track down Mathis, though all their efforts were futile.

"Do you think Oliver can do away with Mathis?" Diggle wondered.

"I'm sure he will, when Mathis will do something that will trigger him. Or when he will do something to that particular someone Oliver cares deeply for. You know what I mean?" Felicity said.

"Yeah, Laurel," Diggle replied, "If Mathis will even come near Laurel, Oliver will tear him apart." He joked.

"Yeah sure," Felicity laughed, her fingers moving rapidly over the keyboard and her eyes on the computer screen. "Oh my god Dig, you should see this. Looks like your prediction's correct. Mathis has Detective Lance and Laurel."

Instantly Diggle stood up and made his way towards the exit. He said as he left, "Inform Oliver and  
track Mathis down."

"Okay, this seems to be a lot of work." She muttered under her breath. She messaged Oliver, asking him to switch on the news channel and, then, started to work on her computer to track Mathis. Felicity always trusted Oliver; she believed that he would never fail anyone. Even if he was unsuccessful sometimes, she wouldn't blame him. After all, Oliver was a man. He had the right to make mistakes. At least he tried, when others only criticised. She was sure he would never fail Laurel, of all people. She never said this in front of Oliver, but she felt that he was never at ease with Laurel. It was as if both of them were trying to prove their abilities to each other. But the cases where Laurel was involved were always interesting- because, then, it was so interesting to watch Oliver work-so anxious and enraged. Oliver came in between, changed into the hood attire and left.

Felicity had nothing left to do. But, she couldn't leave the place during a mission. So, she just sat idly, thinking of useless stuff. Like the expensive creams she had to buy the other day. Or about Laurel. She wondered how it felt like to be Laurel. Men went crazy for her. Oliver survived five years in that hellish island for her...

Felicity's phone rang, breaking her from the chain of thoughts.

"Hello?" She spoke.

"Hey, Felicity. It's me, Barry. Remember me? We met the other day." he said in a husky voice.

"Um...I don't remember," She dredged up hard, "I don't seriously remember you. You see, I actually tend to forget people I don't like- I mean, sorry, it's just that...Could you be a bit more specific?"

"Of course I can be. Wednesday night, you shopped for those particular cosmetics I like. You had a headphone hidden behind your ear into which you were speaking something absurd. And who were you speaking to? The infamous vigilante, Detective Lance. I assume they were your friends. Anyways, I grabbed you, you did escape. But, don't think that I forgot you."

A chill went down her back as Felicity sat still. She couldn't think straight until a pair of hands grabbed her from the behind. She screamed as much as she could but there was no one to help.

Felicity opened her eyes, the surroundings looked unfamiliar. Her body was tied to a pole, and an earth size pipe was fitted into her mouth which was attached to a monotonous apparatus. She was struggling to breathe. She further observed that she was inside a transparent glass cage, locked from the outside. She was inside some sort of a warehouse, dimly lit and the place smelled of chemicals. She suddenly remembered; she was going to be another victim of Mathis!

And there in front of her was Laurel, inside another similar cage, tied to a pole with the same life-size pipe forced into her mouth. She focused even more and discovered Detective Lance. As helpless as he was, he was shouting at Mathis. Requesting him, threatening him. Though there was no one to plead for her.

The apparatus started, a white liquid ascending the pipe. The higher it raised, the detective cried for his daughter. And Felicity, she cried for herself and closed her eyes.

As soon as the liquid touched her lower lip, it stopped rising. She opened her eyes. Oliver had arrived, shocked at the situation put in front of him. Mathis, whose location was not known, shouted at the top of his voice, "The Vigilante has come! I waited a long time for you. At one point, I had stopped believing that you would ever come. But, of course you had to; you two dearest ladies are here. But, to add to the game, I have a twist. You can save only one of these ladies. Now, don't say I'm the Hood; I can do anything, because I've this planned for a long time. You see, we have two apparatus here, which are pumping this divine liquid to each of the ladies. Currently the apparatus have been stopped. One of them will start soon, one will not. It will be the one attached to whomsoever you choose to save. I count till ten, you can save one of them. But remember, If you don't choose, both will die.

...10

...9

...8

...7

...6

...5"

Requests from detective Lance filled the air. As for Oliver, he couldn't think straight. Laurel was his girlfriend, the one person he would die for. And Felicity...

"...4

...3

...2"

"Laurel!" Oliver screamed.

Felicity's hopes crashed. She felt hot tears dripping down her face. She trusted Oliver with her life, and he just made a joke out of it. And before she could think of anything else, the white thing filled her mouth, giving her a burning sensation. The only thing she could think of was to survive.

**Okay, what do you think of this? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**My most humble and sincere thanks to:**

**Oceania (you know why.)**

**To all who reviewed, followed my story. I guess I'll still have your support.**

**Enjoy**

**(Loved 'Keep Your Enemies Closer!' )**

_In the darkest of all ages, in the most painful of all moments, hope was all that had held her together, luring her into believing the existence of miracles. Piece by piece, her soul was hollowing. All the happy memories of the world she once lived in, the causes she deeply cared for- evaporating, finding their way into the heart of someone else, as naive and guileless as herself. Her lyrical laughter and the sparkle from her eyes froze, as the chilly winter air settled down her face, congealing her vibrant aura into the dullness of a lifeless corpse. Innocence was the first part of her soul to die that day. And while it happened, he stood still, watching the dreadful metamorphose of a life full of hopes to death without purpose. _

_Oliver winced, horrified at the turn of events and watched in terror as his peaceful evening drastically changed into a ghastly night. When he was required to act, to take steps, he stood still, feeling as if time had stopped and waiting for the nightmare to end. He looked at Laurel, watched as she laughed and smiled, grateful to be saved, to be the chosen one. And, then, as slowly as he could, he met her painful gaze. And, finally, when he stood to approach her, the police had come. Oliver very well knew to leave in order to protect his identity. _

Oliver woke up with a jolt, ending a nightmare he had been having since months. Unwary of his surroundings, he was surprised to find himself in his room at the Queen's mansion. After spending innumerable nights in the hospital by completely ignoring his professional and social life, Oliver felt that he needed to start new.

He walked the hallways of his house. With his mother and Thea gone, the house proved to be large and lonely for him. After preparing a little breakfast for himself, Oliver gave a call to Diggle, who came half an hour later.

"Nice sky outside." Diggle announced as he entered the Queen mansion for the first time in a few months. He was pretty surprised when he received a call from Oliver, this morning, who had been so quiet since a couple of months.

"So what are you planning on doing today?"He asked.

"I don't know," Oliver let out a sigh, "Maybe, you could tell. No crimes in the city?"

"Many. There have been many. You just need to pick one." Diggle replied. He was going to say more but stopped abruptly when he realised what Oliver was thinking. After since the incident with David Mathis, the hood was quite inactive, maybe duo to his failure in the one field he thought he excelled in. They, Oliver and Diggle, had once been to the warehouse. But, her absence felt stronger than ever. They'd just realised that they were just the field guys, the inside job was all hers. And, without her assistance, it was difficult to do anything.

That was the last night he had seen Oliver, until today. Drunk as he was, Diggle had a hard time driving Oliver to his home.

"So?" Oliver asked lightly, breaking him off his chain of thoughts.

"Well, you could visit your company. I'm sure your partner would need your help."

The atmosphere at the Queen Consolidated was the most different. Everything was in its place, running smoothly. As if, his absence was not noticed.

He walked towards his office. As alarming as it was, he found a similar figure sitting in her place, eyes focused on the screen. But as he moved closer, he realised it was Isabel Rochev.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded calmly.

"Oh, Mr. Queen! What a surprise!" she smiled, "You see, since your blond secretary resigned, I applied for this job. Well, I don't really major in secretarial arts, but, then, you don't really see the qualifications, do you?"

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked again.

I could ask you the same thing. What are YOU doing here?"

"I'm the CEO of this company." Oliver said, still trying to maintain his calm.

"Then, Mr. Queen, the most careless CEO of any company in the world, I would like to tell you that this party," she said as she shoved an invitation in his hands, "You miss it and I'm giving you a hard time."

It had been an eventful evening, after so many of his futile ones. Talking, smiling and drinking with numerous business associates Oliver didn't even know, he finally retired to a lone corner of the large hall, indulging himself into thinking the incalculable blunders he had committed in his life.

'Lira for your thoughts?"She whispered. Dressed in a close-fitted, elegant evening dress, Oliver admitted that she looked breathtaking. Her black, Chanel halter-neck accentuated her curves and the colour of her eyes. Her perfume was overpowering and her hair had a silk-like texture.

"Isabel Rochev," he smiled, "You look good." Oliver watched as she sat beside him. It had been two hours since he had been trying to find her. Although, he hated this woman from the core of this heart, today, in a room full of strangers, he found her company soothing. As tough as she pretended herself to be, she was soft from the inside and had a disturbing past. She was so sensitive, so conscious. She could be flattered by compliments, though not deceived.

"A long evening it is," she declared, "I can't believe you made it. Guess you didn't have other important things to do." She said. Oliver stared at her, amused at how hard she was trying to be cold to him. Both of them knew that they could make such good partners in business and maybe something more...

"You look good." He said again, honestly.

"I heard you before. And, isn't 'looking good' a bit of an understatement?" She raised an eyebrow, smiling coyly as she turned and twisted her hair.

Moving closer, Oliver leaned towards her, "What else do you want me to say?"

"Well, something like: Ms. Rochev, this meeting we have tonight, what's it actually about? You see, I don't want to be standing like some jerk when we talk to the associates." They both laughed as she finished.

"You really think I'm a jerk?" Oliver asked, still laughing.

"No, I think you are smart. You just spend a hell lot of time pretending something you are not." She said delicately as she moved closer, only to be inches apart from him.

They just stared at each other, unwilling to break the gaze, the silence. As he stared into the depth of her eyes, he saw an unexpectedly different side of her.

"Oliver?" somebody called out. The voice was hard, manly, Oliver recognised. As both of them turned to look at the interrupter, their faces brushed with each other.

Oliver felt a strange kind of urgency in Diggle's voice. Before following Diggle, who had left the hall, Oliver in a moment so impulsive, placed a quick kiss on her cheek, thrilling them both.

"I might need a few personal days." Diggle said, holding a small suitcase.

"Why? What has happened?"

"Have to help a friend. She went to Russia to look for Dead Shot for me. Now, she's in trouble."

"I think it's time we visited our Queen Consolidated office in Moscow."

"You don't have to do that. I didn't ask for help."

"I know you didn't"

"Look, I know you want to help but I cannot let you," Diggle paused and, then, continued, "I told her that if she couldn't come, nobody can."

"Who?" Oliver asked instantly, later regretting it when Diggle uttered her name.

_Felicity_...Guilt and horror flooded in his waves.

_The doctor's words had struck him like a storm. Cannot speak?_ Because of me. _Cannot speak? It was a moment of pure alarm. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of the unnatural fate he had given her. Each day, he watched her helplessly, watched as she grew pale with each passing day. Oliver had flooded the hospital with money, booking every doctor for one sole patient. And in return, when she gained her consciousness, when she could write to deliver her wishes, the first one was addressed to the staff. It was about him. He remembered each word, each stroke of her quivery handwriting. She had simply written, requested that Oliver should not be in the same hospital as her. She didn't want him near her._

_After a few more months, when she was out of the hospital, he visited her. She had kept the meeting short. Before he could even speak, she struggled, using whatever little voice she had, "Oliver...I can," She took a breath, "barely speak. Whatever," she paused again, after speaking what seemed like such a long word, "little I've, don't want to waste it one you."_

_That night when he had visited the Arrow Warehouse after months. That night, after which he had cut himself off the outside world. Drunk as he was, without Diggle, he couldn't even walk a few blocks._

"_Felicity! Please! I just need to talk to you!"_

"_Shut up, jerk! People are trying to sleep." Felicity's neighbour, a pimple-face man, yelled out from his window. Oliver ignored him and continued calling out for her from across the small lane. He could see her shadow from behind her thin, lacy curtains._

"_Felicity!"_

_She had paused and was probably in a dilemma. The rain pelted into his eyes and he rubbed at them, trying to catch a glimpse of her figure- those amazing curves in between girlishness and womanhood. Finally, the curtains parted and she glanced outside before shutting them again._

"_Felicity, please. Just a second!"_

"_I said shut up!" The man from the next door threw a spit bomb down at Oliver who deftly jumped out of the way._

_Her figure disappeared from the window and he knew she was coming down. She appeared with an umbrella. _

"_Fel, please just one more chance." He gushed as he held her with her shoulders, pulling her close._

_She tried to move, but couldn't move out of his firm grip. Unwillingly, she looked at him. At the person for whom she could give her life until a few months ago. When she realised he wouldn't do the same for her. While, Oliver searched her face for any sign of forgiveness._

"_I had been such a fool," he broke down, "I just didn't realise..."_

_Felicity's own eyes were filled with tears and as a tiny drop dripped down her eyes, Oliver kissed it. He felt a surge of emotion he wasn't accustomed to feeling. Without warning, he kissed her full on lips. When he pulled away and looked at her, he found her gazing at him coldly._

_In broken sentences, she spoke, "Go home, Oliver. It's over."_

**To be continued, I guess?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**I think I have held off writing for a long time. And that's because I clearly have no idea as to what I should write, as some of you had observed. 'You Failed Me' started as a one-shot. Though, I'm willing to write more if you people would be kind enough to throw some ideas. Especially, my dear 'Guest': Your three lovely reviews could definitely find their place in some other fiction. Thanks for the nice response. **

**Olicityalways **

**Divya.**


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